To: His excellency Hassan Gouled Aptidon,
The President of the Republic of Djibouti and
Chairman of IGAD;
Cc: His Excellency Tekeste Ghebrey,
IGAD’s Executive Secretary;
From: World Campaign For Somaliland’s Recognition.
Dear Sir;
The Egyptian government has recently hosted a conference in Cairo on the Somali conflict. In this conference many of the Somali warlords have finally agreed to meet again initially on Feb.15, 1998 in Baidoa, Somalia, in order to revive their failed state. Among the issues discussed by the warlords in Cairo were: to restore peace, stability, and the rule of law in their troubled land. A land where warlordism, chaos, political anarchy, civil strife, mass starvation, and thuggery, has been commonplace for the better part of this decade. However, by claiming that the Cairo Accord includes the Republic of Somaliland, despite the fact that the Republic of Somaliland’s government has neither participated nor endorsed this accord, the Egyptian government has displayed wanton disregard for the rights and aspirations of Somaliland’s people.
In addition to violating the democratic rights of the people of Somaliland, current Egyptian policy regarding the Somali conflict suffers from the following shortcomings: a) it encourages the southern warlords’ habit of endless posturing and making unrealistic demands; b) it harms Egypt’s claim to neutrality in mediating the Somali conflict. The fundamental problem with the Egyptian approach is that it still clings to the notion of Somalia as one state; a notion that has brought so much grief to Somalis in general, and Somalilanders in particular.
It is in this context that, we, as members of the Somaliland intelligentsia in the diaspora, would like to express our view of the Cairo Accord, and what it means to be citizens of Somaliland. The notion of Somaliland means everything to its citizens these days. It represents a country, an ideology, an aspiration and a state. It also represents a separate entity, a history, and political stability in an otherwise chaotic situation. The Somali state slid into anarchy and disintegrated into tribal fiefdoms soon after the long reign of General Siad Barre’s dictatorial regime came to an end in 1991. The international community, including IGAD members, have not spared any effort to bring the Somali situation under control. Operation Restore Hope spearheaded by the Americans in 1992 and the subsequent activities that followed were all part of the effort to stabilize Somali politics. All of these attempts have failed. But while southern Somalia was sinking deeper and deeper into anarchy, an event of immense significance in the history of the Horn of Africa, took place in the north, i.e, the rebirth of the Republic of Somaliland on May, 1991.
Mr. President, as you are well aware of, the amalgamation of the two states that formed Somalia in 1960 had ever since meant nothing for the people of Somaliland but death in large proportions, especially during the civil war (1981-1991), destruction of their own towns and cities, and misery in refugee camps in Ethiopia during the struggle. Hence the issue of what to do about Somalia and its Mogadishu-based ruthless regime had long been a debating issue among the rank and file members of the Somali National Movement (SNM), the armed opposition organization that mounted resistance against General Barre’s reign of terror towards the people of Somaliland throughout 1980s. The result from all of this was the proclamation of the Republic of Somaliland in 1991.
Now the people of Somaliland want to make their case to the regional and international communities. They are requesting from the peace loving nations of the world, especially from IGAD members, to grant their state its de jure status. Because their state fulfills all the requirements for statehood, which are a territorial boundary, a population, and an elected government. The de facto state of Somaliland has also proved to be a beacon of hope for its people and symbolizes political stability in this troubled region of the world. For instance, despite some short-lived inter-clan flare ups, the government of Somaliland, unlike the southern warlords, has managed to create peace amongst its people by using both modern and traditional social mechanisms.
International and regional bodies that are interested in brokering peace among Somalis could benefit a lot from studying and replicating Somaliland’s model. Such bodies, and their respective governments, must also realize that a just and lasting solution for the Somali conflict requires the granting of full-fledged recognition to the Republic of Somaliland. A state which represents the following for Somaliland’s people: an identity because this is what sets them apart from the rest of the Somalis; a shared common destiny because they were determined to liberate their country under all circumstances including the brutal civil war directed against them from Mogadishu in the 1980s; and finally an ideology because it is those hardened feelings and beliefs that became the rallying cause for the people of Somaliland. It is also what made peace and stability possible in Somaliland.
Mr. President, you and your political colleagues, made the right decision in the best interest of your people in 1977, when you resisted the temptation of joining “Greater Somalia.” Somaliland did not. As a result, the people of Somaliland paid dearly for the political mistake that they made in 1960. It is a historical mistake that had burdened us ever since.
Our youthful politicians thought then that with the passage of time, they could bring in some change into the system, and hence influence the political landscape of Somalia in our favour. They were mistaken. Because the problem was tribal politics and regional cleavages. There were sharp vertical cleavages along tribal and regional lines already in place before the late General Barre had finally sunk the proverbial boat of the Somali liberal parliamentary system in 1969.
Hence the General wrote the final chapter of what was then perceived to be Somali nationalism. He did so at the expense of the people of Somaliland by deliberately subjecting them to scourged earth policies throughout 1980s, the likes of which our regional history has not seen. Mr. President, the history of nation-states has also taught us that it is practically impossible to create a viable state out of tribal politics. Because there is a price to be paid in tribal politics at the end: human carnage. And that is exactly what happened in Somaliland under General Barre. Thus, the only logical conclusion that the people of Somaliland could draw from the Somali political debacle was to opt out from the system and re-invent their own state, 31 years later.
Toward that end, we appeal to your good offices Mr. President, both as the president of the Republic of Djibouti and as the current head of IGAD, to listen to the voice of Somaliland’s citizens and accept our plea for recognition. If you seize this opportunity, stand up for justice, and take the lead for this heroic and noble cause, we will certainly reserve for you some golden pages in our history books, and will forever be grateful to you.
Our enormous economic interdependence, our shared values, and the defense and political cooperation that could be created through this mission also offer the potential to shape our intertwined history for the next 50 years in positive ways by acting in concert. The alternative is to ignore history’s lessons and our own responsibilities and disregard Somaliland’s distress signal. The unfortunate consequences of the latter course cannot be in doubt.
Mr. President, rarely in the swirl of history are the choices this obvious or the alternative futures so starkly contrasting. For this reason, it is of vital importance that your government and IGAD–as you debate over whether to bring Somaliland in from the cold– reflect on IGAD’s larger purpose and the role your organization can play in our region in the 21st century. We are confident that, when you consider how well IGAD can serve the people of the region, including the people of Somaliland, you will see the importance of expanding and preserving the organization as we approach a new millennium.
Finally, the de facto state of Somaliland has managed its affairs as a separate entity over the course of the last seven years without much help from the outside world. It can certainly do so in the future if necessary. However, because of the globalized world that we live in today, de jure status has become a pre-requisite for nation-states, if they are going to achieve any meaningful economic development. It has equally become important to be a member of the community of nations on the world stage in order to transact with other nations in the global economy.
Thus, the lack of diplomatic and political recognition at the international level has become an impediment to Somaliland’s economic development. Regional authorities like IGAD can fill this void for Somaliland and bring it along into the community of nations. We, therefore, hereby request from you to give this issue the utmost importance and become a champion for freedom in our region. We thank you in advance, and we respect your judgment on the issue.
On behalf of the World Campaign for Somaliland’s Recognition;
Farah Ahmed Hersi
Somaliland Forum
Toronto, Canada.